Kerry Dairy Ireland has launched its sustainability programme for 2025, Evolve RegenDairy, which includes an updated payment structure.

The dairy processor confirmed that payments made to farmers in the programme will now be linked to the litres of milk produced by their herd this year.

As payments are based on milk production, these will be made to a farmer's milk account in January 2026.

Kerry Dairy Ireland said that it has revised the sustainability programme in response to feedback from its milk suppliers.

This year's programme now includes 13 measures for suppliers, down from 23 available actions in the previous year.

The 2025 measures include Bord Bia's Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme (SDAS) certification, milk recording, submitting fertiliser and grass records and improving herd genetics.

Suppliers can also boost their payments by attending development events, participating in the Protecting Our Waters initiative, spreading lime, using low protein feed and enhance biodiversity.

Farmers who fully engage with the programme can earn up to a maximum of 1c/L (including VAT). This excludes the protected urea measure .

"For example, if your herd produces 450,000 litres annually, maximising your Evolve participation would result in a €4,500 payment," Kerry Dairy Ireland said.

To participate in the Evolve 2025 programme, milk suppliers are required to provide proof of participation for certain actions, such as photographs, printouts, and receipts.

The submission window for this documentation will open on November 1 and close on November 21.

Documents can be submitted online or in-person at a series of designated "data capture days".

Last month, Kerry Dairy Ireland became the first dairy processor globally to achieve stage 5 verification under the Sustainable Dairy Partnership (SDP) framework.

The framework was developed by the global food and beverage sustainability network, SAI Platform, in collaboration with industry stakeholders.

It provides a structured, five-stage verification system that aligns sustainability expectations between dairy processors and buyers.

Built on the Dairy Sustainability Framework (DSF), the SDP encompasses 11 key criteria, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, animal welfare, and water quality.